Thanks and welcome to wetpixel. As i'm sure you noticed in this thread, I couldn't have produced the results i did my 2nd time around without the help from fellow wetpixilians, like Jeff and James and others. This place is a great resource.

For my backdrop i used about 40lbs of dive weights to hold it down and it was still billowing out a bit. I think a pole or other sort of pockets for weights would certainly help. Cheers,

Chris

Hello everyone, this is my first reply/post. I am really enjoying the questions and answers!Cindy

I've found it easier to dispense with the Pelican case and just use a long synch cord.Pretty simple really:Long synch cord, female Nikonos socket to PC plug convertor, plug into Pocket Wizard, Pocket Wizard taped to a light stand on side of pool.Ryan from Reef Photo can customize a long synch cord and Nikonos to PC conversion for you.With regard to bubbles, as James said, turn off filter system, and get into the habit of wiping dome port every time you submerge.

So the pocket wizard that normally connects to the hot shoe, is connected via cord, out of the pool? Great thread everyone. Learning tons and much appreciated.

Just want to add my thanks for this thread, and to share a funny story. Basically I've mainly done landscape and nature, and pretty much stuck to auto settings on the cameras and always natural light. I think my strengths are mainly in composition, but a really decent understanding of lighting - and how to use your primary weapon, I mean tool - the camera to really work *with* the light - there is a *lot* left for me to learn! Anyhow, this year I've decided I want to do far more people shoots. I've only just done an intro course in LightRoom, went to a workshop on outdoor natural light portraiture this week and been shooting music gigs weekly for a while. Last week was my first shoot with a model I haven't known personally (ie, only friends and family to date), just to see how we work together, but she was keen on underwater and I just love the style. So here I am looking for tips for your first underwater fashion shoot. Let me tell you, our morning was anything but the controlled setups described here.

I was shooting with a D800 and bought a dicapac bag for it. Tested that out all ok but using it in the water is a different matter. We chose an ocean pool. I knew I wouldn't be getting the stunning black backgrounds shown in this thread and figured we should try and work with what we've got - natural rock background and ideally looking up at the surface of the water from below. We got there before sunrise and took a few land shots in the morning light before hopping in. It had to be high tide, didn't it? The waves were crashing over the rock wall throwing us to and fro. Water clarity of course was never going to be brilliant, but you work with what you can get. I took note of using short lens length, but I only have a 28-70. Of course, at 28 the lens is extended so far out from the camera that the front of the housing kept pushing it back in, putting me at 35 or worse, 50. Very hard to get full body shots like that. What I hadn't anticipated is that actually hitting the shutter button through the bag is not so simple - you lose all tactile feedback from the camera when you're clicking through plastic. And it was basically impossible to turn the lens back toward 28.

Another issue was simply getting down low in the water. She managed it, but I really struggled. The camera bag itself, having air in it, didn't really want to sink. So my choices were to hold the camera underwater and shoot blind or try and get under there. Even when I was in the water I couldn't really see the live view screen - remember the water is gushing back and forth from the waves, also pushing us toward and away from each other like sea grass.. Pot luck with focusing, especially when you can't feel the shutter button!

At the end we were ready to dry off and get warm again - I got out of the pool and then an almighty wave lifted her fully out of the pool and onto the ledge like a mearmaid washing up... before all that water decided to lift her up again and plunk her backwards into the pool. It was kind of funny at the time (we did both laugh) though the blood on her knee from a tiny cut was definitely visible afterward.

Anyhow, we had some fun. Brought along a long flowing dress and sparkly necklace. We definitely learned from the process and had a good laugh. Our next underwater (yes, she still wants to shoot!) will still be an ocean pool but we'll make sure it's either one not affected by high tide, or I'll check the tide charts this time!

Hey, please don't go too hard on me for the shoot not going anything like planned.. I feel pretty bad about her scratch too.. but what can I say? You have to start somewhere. And thankfully there seems to be a *huge* forum here. I am totally sold on underwater and I had been thinking fashion was where I wanted to go. I love the children/baby shots earlier in this thread too and definitely want to explore that. And yes, I've started browsing for a new lens

Loved reading this post, although all the lighting technical jargon is a bit over my head. I just received my underwater set-up for my D700. Ikelite housing with two ds161 strobes. Hoping to find a pool to practice shooting with a friend this weekend as a test. I'll be using the strobes only for now and will have to figure out how to use topside lighting in addition to the ttl. I'm not quite sure I want any electrical lighting around the pool.

One question: how are people finding pools to shoot in? Are you using private pools or public? Do public pools generally allow you to set-up backdrops? I don't imagine they'd be willing to turn their filtration systems off during the shoot either. Any advice would be great.

To answer your questions about pools, your best bet would be to find a filthy rich friend with a clear pool that was heated year round, and since you're based in the midwest, indoors too!

In all seriousness, ideally you have a private pool at someone's house that will let you get in and practice. There are so many variabilities in photography, even more so in underwater photography in a pool including time of day, angle of the sun, shade trees, trees dropping foliage, clarity of the water, etc. it would be nice to have access whenever you wanted.

Public pools are very tricky, especially when kids use them. Talk to the aquatics director and see if there are times you can use the pool. And no, they usually won't turn off a filtration system ; )

Do you have a dive shop in your area with a pool attached? That would be a great resource to try.

To answer your questions about pools, your best bet would be to find a filthy rich friend with a clear pool that was heated year round, and since you're based in the midwest, indoors too!

In all seriousness, ideally you have a private pool at someone's house that will let you get in and practice. There are so many variabilities in photography, even more so in underwater photography in a pool including time of day, angle of the sun, shade trees, trees dropping foliage, clarity of the water, etc. it would be nice to have access whenever you wanted.

Public pools are very tricky, especially when kids use them. Talk to the aquatics director and see if there are times you can use the pool. And no, they usually won't turn off a filtration system ; )

Do you have a dive shop in your area with a pool attached? That would be a great resource to try.

Abi

Thanks, Abi. That's what I thought. I don't know anyone with a pool right now, so was thinking of asking one of the hotels by me. I just updated my profile because I'm in Northern California now, no longer in the Midwest

Loved reading this post, although all the lighting technical jargon is a bit over my head. I just received my underwater set-up for my D700. Ikelite housing with two ds161 strobes. Hoping to find a pool to practice shooting with a friend this weekend as a test. I'll be using the strobes only for now and will have to figure out how to use topside lighting in addition to the ttl. I'm not quite sure I want any electrical lighting around the pool.

One question: how are people finding pools to shoot in? Are you using private pools or public? Do public pools generally allow you to set-up backdrops? I don't imagine they'd be willing to turn their filtration systems off during the shoot either. Any advice would be great.